Emergency services were called to Dunfermline Bus Station after the alarm was raised at around 10.25pm on Friday.

A man has been arrested and charged after a “rammy” broke out at a bus station in Fife.

Emergency services were called to Dunfermline Bus Station after the alarm was raised at around 10.25pm on Friday.

Officers were responding to reports of a disturbance. Local reports suggest there were a number of people involved.

Images from the scene showed a number of police vehicles in attendance. No serious injuries were reported but a 42-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection.

He was released on an undertaking to appear before Dunfermline Sheriff Court at a later date.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 10.25pm on Friday, April 3, 2026, police were called to a report of a disturbance at Dunfermline Bus Station. Officers attended and no serious injuries were reported.

“A 42-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection and released on an undertaking to appear before Dunfermline Sheriff Court at a later date.”

It comes after the Record reported on two serious incidents at Kilmarnock Bus Station in recent weeks.

A man was taken to hospital after an alleged attack at 2.50pm on Sunday, March 29.

Two males, aged 16 and 17, were arrested and charged in connection with the incident. The pair are due to appear in court at a later date.

Eyewitnesses in the area said the bus station was covered in blood following the incident.

Just days earlier on Friday, March 20, a man was injured in an alleged attempted murder at the station.

Eight youths – seven boys aged 12 to 17, and a girl aged 16, were charged after a 29-year-old was injured at around 9.45pm.

They have all been released on an undertaking to appear at court at a later date. A source told the Record that the man who was attacked was a dad who was passing through the town centre at the time.

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KABUL, Afghanisan (AP) — Widespread flooding, landslides and lightning strikes triggered by heavy rain and storms across Afghanistan have left 77 people dead and 137 injured over the past 10 days, the country’s Disaster Management Authority said Saturday.

More rain has been forecast for the coming days throughout Afghanistan, and the authority warned the public to stay away from river banks and areas prone to flooding.

So far this year, dozens of people have died due to extreme weather in Afghanistan, an impoverished country that is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events. Earlier this year, heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country.

The recent toll includes 26 people killed over the past 48 hours, the disaster authority said. Overall, 793 homes have been completely destroyed and a further 2,673 have been damaged, while floods and landslides have destroyed 337 kilometers (about 210 miles) of roads, it said.

Businesses, agricultural land, water wells and irrigation canals have also been damaged, with more than 5,800 families affected overall, the authority said.

Several highways connecting the country’s capital to the provinces have also been damaged by floods and landslides, forcing travelers to take long, circuitous routes to reach Kabul, Public Works Ministry spokesman Ashraf Haqshinas said Saturday.

They include the Kabul to Jalalabad highway, which is the main route linking the capital to the Pakistani border and eastern Afghan provinces. A landslide and rockfalls, as well as flooding, shut the highway on Thursday morning, and Haqshinas said crews were working to re-open the road.

The Public Works Ministry warned travelers to be cautious when using roads in affected areas.

Flooding has also shut the Salang Pass, a high mountain pass in the Hindu Kush mountain range that connects Kabul to the country’s north, including the major cities of Kunduz and Mazar-e-Sharif.

Snow and heavy rain often trigger flash floods that kill scores, or even hundreds, of people at a time in Afghanistan. In 2024, more than 300 people died in springtime flash floods.

___

Elena Becatoros contributed from Kabul, Afghanistan.

Having said this, temperatures could still reach mid-20s next week.

Those travelling over the Easter weekend have been told there could be disruption on the roads as well as on rail, air and ferry services.

Here’s what we know about Storm Dave, including where in the UK it is expected to hit and when.

What different Met Office weather warnings mean

Where is Storm Dave expected in the UK?

Up to 30 centimetres of snow could fall, with the Met Office issuing a yellow severe weather warning in Scotland for heavy snow and blizzards, causing some travel and power disruption.

Meanwhile, an amber weather warning for wind has been issued for parts of northern England, Scotland and Wales tonight.

The Met Office has upgraded a severe yellow weather warning for wind to amber, meaning flying debris could lead to “injuries or danger to life”.

The amber warning covers parts of Lancashire, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, North Wales and Scotland, and comes into effect at 7pm this evening and is due to remain in place until 3am on Sunday.

#StormDave has been named and is forecast to bring damaging winds across northern parts of the UK, with some disruptive snow possible in northwest Scotland later on Saturday and into Easter Day #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/J0NZYD2SPC

— Met Office (@metoffice) April 2, 2026

When is Storm Dave expected to hit the UK?

The warnings are in place this evening and tomorrow morning, with the storm expected to hit during this period.

Storm Dave will hit hardest on Saturday evening, before beginning to weaken on Sunday as it moves into the North Sea.

The Met Office still has multiple yellow and amber weather warnings in place for wind covering the whole of mainland Scotland, Northern Ireland, parts of northern England and North Wales from Saturday evening into Sunday.

There could also be dangerous conditions from large waves along the coastline, as well as gusts of up to 90mph in exposed areas.

Greg Dewhurst, a Met Office meteorologist, said: “There is cold air across Scotland at the moment and, as the rain pushes across this afternoon, it is going to turn to snow.

⚠️⚠️ Amber weather warning issued ⚠️⚠️#StormDave brings strong winds across northern England, southern Scotland and northwest Wales

Saturday 19:00 – Sunday 03:00

Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs

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Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/SFNZe404xo

— Met Office (@metoffice) April 4, 2026

“We’ll see heavy snow forming across parts of the Highlands as we go through the rest of the afternoon into the evening time and early hours, as much as 20 to 30 centimetres could fall over the higher ground, and five to 10 centimetres over lower ground.”

When will temperatures rise next week?

After Easter Monday, temperatures are expected to rise as warmer air comes from Europe.

Mr Dewhurst said: “On Tuesday, warmer air moves in across England and Wales from the near continent through Tuesday and into Wednesday.

“We will see temperatures rising to the low 20s, with highs around 20C or 21C on Tuesday, and possibly 23C or 24C come Wednesday.

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“The sunniest skies on Wednesday may be limited to south-east England, where 23 and 24 is most likely.”

He added that mid-20s temperatures are normal for April as the sun starts getting stronger.

How to track Storm Dave

Brits can track Storm Dave via the Met Office website today through to tomorrow.

The Met Office’s tracker allows you to see the movement of Storm Dave and the impact of the storm.

You can monitor the rainfall, wind gusts, cloud cover and temperature.

Will you be tracking Storm Dave? Let us know in the comments.

The Little Hulton actor’s first major role came in the early 1990s, with his breakout performance in Let Him Have It.

He followed this up with the popular BBC drama Our Friends in the North, starring alongside Daniel Craig, Gina McKee, and Mark Strong.

The 62-year-old has also featured in multiple films, including Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later and Thor: The Dark World.

But Chris is perhaps best known and beloved by fans across the world for his iconic turn as the Doctor in the BBC’s Doctor Who.

Playing the ninth incarnation of the Time Lord, he helped relaunch the sci-fi series in 2005 after ‘the wilderness years’.

Christopher Eccleston. (Image: Jeff Moore / PA)

Bringing a modernised show which had new generations hiding behind the sofa, Chris starred opposite Billie Piper, who played companion, Rose Tyler.

Hopping in the Tardis and fast-forwarding to the present, he was at the Oxford Literary Festival last weekend.

Sitting down opposite fellow actor Paterson Joseph, the pair discussed their lives and careers at Oxford University’s Sheldonian Theatre.

The 61-year-old, who has been the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University for more than three years, is known for his roles in Wonka, Peep Show and Julius Caesar.

Both actors have written books, with I Love the Bones of You by Chris, and Mr Joseph’s award-winning The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho.

Following their conversation and some questions from the crowd, the pair departed the historic venue to rapturous applause.

Paterson Joseph and Christopher Eccleston at the Sheldonian Theatre. (Image: Newsquest)

Speaking to our sister title, The Oxford Mail, he said: “Give it to Billie! Yeah, why not? Why not.”

 While appearing at the Fan Expo convention in 2022, he had said: “I was saying to somebody today in the green room that Russell T Davies is coming back, right, and who’s going to be his Doctor?

 “I think it should be Billie Piper, actually. Catherine Tate’s great, but I think there’s your Doctor.

 “And I’d like to see you all struggle with it. ‘How can she be the Doctor when she was an assistant?!’

 “I like the idea of it blowing fuses in the canon, or whatever it’s called.”

Christopher Eccleston. (Image: PA)

Then last year, Ncuti’s Fifteenth Doctor regenerated into an incarnation played by Ms Piper, realising Chris’ own idea. 

When asked if he really was a Time Lord after making the correct prediction, the actor laughed and joked: “Exactly, I’m a prophet!” 

He made his comments at the Oxford Literary Festival last weekend.

Christopher Eccleston and Oxford Mail reporter Ed Burnett. (Image: Newsquest)

 Christopher said:  “The irony of Oxford and Cambridge, of course, is that all these working-class men made this beauty, and a lot of them dreamt to be scholars themselves.”

 Speaking about appearing at Oxford Literary Festival 2026, Chris added: “My dad would be very proud that I’ve been asked to speak at a literary festival because my family were all voracious readers.

 “Books are the gateway, that’s what I’d say to any young person – if you’re in trouble, and you don’t know anything, it will be in a book.

 “So if I can support a literary festival, I’ll be there.”

Christopher Eccleston. (Image: PA)

 Having already penned his autobiographical book about his relationship with his father, Ronnie, Chris revealed that he’s keen to write again. 

“Yes, I would like to write, but I think writing certainly within my industry is the hardest thing to do,” he said. 

“I think it’s the most ignored and the most malign, and that’s deeply ironic because they’re the most important people in our industry, writers. 

“So yes, I’d very much like to write again, but I don’t seem to have the discipline, especially with being alone with your thoughts for so long. 

“Most of the writers I know working in television and film are lunatics because as soon as there’s a wrap party or a drink, they’re there because they spend so much time alone. 

“But I should try more, and I really admire what Paterson’s done.”

Christopher Eccleston. (Image: PA)

In recent months, he has fronted a high‑profile campaign calling for a ban on gambling advertising, working with the Coalition to End Gambling Ads. 

A short film titled Stacking the Deck is available to watch on YouTube, and Chris spoofs the style of glossy betting commercials. 

Criticising gambling ads, he has urged the government to curb promotions which are helping to destroy lives.

 “We’ve addressed the advertising of alcohol, and we’ve addressed the advertising of tobacco, but we are not accepting that gambling is an addiction,” said Chris. 

“It’s a disease. These gambling companies are making absolute fortunes, and they’ve got the government in their pocket. 

“The government needs to clean that up, and I think the public would respect whichever government was in power if they said we’re going to take a lot of your money off you. 

“People are committing suicide. I’ve interviewed a woman who lost her husband, and her two children have lost their father because of his addiction, which destroyed the family’s finances. 

“It’s being encouraged as you only need to have a mobile phone and you’re targeted. So it’s a moral question for me. 

“Children are seeing these things. When you’re watching Premier League football, there are constant advertisements by people who should know better. 

“It’s going in subliminally, and it’s rooting. It’s a huge addiction. So we start with the same strictures applied to the advertising of alcohol and tobacco.”

Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston as Rose Tyler and the Doctor. (Image: BBC / PA)

Moving on to music, Chris is known to be a big fan of The Smiths from his native Manchester, but the actor opened up on what else he likes to listen to.

 “I like Black Grape, Happy Mondays, Joy Division, New Order, but really I’m a soul boy. 

“The Smiths are an outlier for me. I was born in 1964, and I heard all the great Motown stacks, all of funk, hearing black American music made me realise that America is a country built on racial discrimination. 

”It made me look at America in a very different way. It was really important in my education about racism, and also, you could dance to it. 

“Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Curtis Mayfield, Betty Wright, people like that. 

“At the same time, I was listening to all the Jamaican reggae and ska, but it’s that interesting thing that white guys of my generation, even the skinheads, were listening to black music. 

“That’s what music’s supposed to do, to bring people together. So yeah, I’m a soul boy.”

You can catch Chris next in the new psychological thriller miniseries Unchosen, which premieres on Netflix on Tuesday, April 21.

The fan favourite finds himself in more danger

Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins reacted to the news that Cain Dingle will be “left for dead” in upcoming episodes.

Actress Isabel Hodgins may have made her temporary exit from the ITV soap earlier this year, but she’s still keeping up to date with the latest drama in the Dales amid her absence.

She left her role as Victoria Sugden as she went on maternity leave to welcome her first child, daughter Georgie, with husband Adam Whitehead whom she said “I do” to last year.

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Over recent episodes, Cain Dingle has been struggling since Moira was imprisoned for the deaths of druglord Celia Daniels and slave Anya. Their bodies were discovered after Celia and Ray’s drug and modern slavery empire was finally exposed.

Cain has been desperate to get an innocent Moira back home, especially after receiving his troubling prostate cancer diagnosis. Unfortunately, things are set to get worse for the Dales legend before they get better.

Taking to her Instagram story, Isabel shared a snap of the front page of a magazine which read: “Moira and Cain reunited – then tragedy strikes… Left for dead!”. She added: “He better not be!!!!”

It comes as next week, Cain is rocked when Moira reveals her murder charges are likely to be dropped, but she still faces complicity in modern slavery and also needs an MRI at the hospital; he is unable to tell her about his upcoming surgery fearing it’s too much for her to handle.

However, Liam comes up with a plan and Cain secretly meets Moira in a hospital changing room, orchestrated by Liam. They become intimate, and Cain confides his fear about his operation, which Moira reassures him they will face together.

Happy, Cain later gives Kyle car keys for his newly running car before heading off to the hospital. While on the phone with Moira, telling her he thinks everything will be okay, Cain is hit by a car.

Frantic Kyle finds Cain’s unconscious, bleeding body. Still on the call, stressed Moira tries to figure out what’s going on. With the Dingle family already at breaking point, there seems to be more drama unfolding for the family.

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and is also available to stream on ITVX.

Manchester City and Liverpool kicked off this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final fixtures, but there was a surprise guest in the stands of the Etihad Stadium

Considering he referred to Manchester City as “noisy neighbours” many would have been surprised to see Sir Alex Ferguson in the stands. The iconic former Manchester United manager was watched the Cityzens’ FA Cup quarter-final clash against Liverpool.

It’s understood Ferguson took himself to watch the game as he had a hankering for some live football this Easter weekend. With United not in the FA Cup and not playing at Old Trafford until the home clash against Leeds United on April 13, this was the best game Ferguson could see this weekend.

However, considering both sides were two of his biggest rivals, Ferguson would have sternly been a neutral on the blue side of Manchester.

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Before the match, he was spotted being escorted into the Etihad Stadium. He had a large smile on his face as he briefly interacted with fans, who would have been rather surprised to see him walking into the ground.

Cheekily, he wore a suit complete with a claret tie, which glowed red at certain angles. Ferguson was not the only multiple Premier League winning manager in the stands.

Pep Guardiola had to watch the game from above as a result of a touch-line ban. He was handed a two-match suspension after accumulating six yellow cards in domestic competitions this season.

He went through all of the emotions in the first half. Guardiola lost his temper completely when City were not given a penalty after Dominik Szoboszlai appeared to bring down Bernardo Silva.

He would have been a happier man when he went into his box seat to get some beverages and food by the time the first half finished. City got a penalty in the 39th minute after Virgil van Dijk scythed down Nico O’Reilly in the penalty area.

Erling Haaland made no mistake from the penalty area, before flicking a fine header into the far corner, finishing off a free-flowing team move involving Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo.

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It was the perfect finish to the half for Guardiola’s side, who struggled to handle the Merseysiders in the opening 45 minutes. Hugo Ekitike fired a good chance over the bar, while Abdukodir Khusanov did well to get the slightest of touches on the ball, moments before Mohamed Salah shot from close range.

Before the international break, City wrapped up their first trophy of the campaign by beating Arsenal 2-0 in the League Cup final. While they are trailing the Gunners by nine points in the Premier League, a third FA Cup triumph would go some way to easing any title race disappointment.

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Sky shows at least 215 live Premier League games each season, an increase of up to 100, plus Formula 1, darts, golf and more.

Gardeners will be relieved to hear that there is less chores to do in the garden this spring as they are being asked to stop mowing lawns and leave weeds alone to help their local wildlife.

Gardeners are being urged to down their trowels and hold off on mowing this spring, as dandelions serve as a vital lifeline for one of Britain’s most vulnerable species. April is notoriously one of the most challenging months for bees, as they are only just emerging from winter and urgently need to begin foraging to rebuild their colonies.

Unfortunately, relatively few flowers are in bloom across the UK at this time of year, and those that are often too immature to supply bees with the pollen they desperately require. Helen Keating, a botanist with the Woodland Trust, is calling on gardeners to reconsider their spring tidying habits, as weeds represent one of the few reliable food sources bees can depend upon during the early spring months.

She said: “Lawn weeds such as dandelions are excellent bee plants, providing vital pollen early in the season. White clover attracts masses of honeybees, while the longer tongued bumblebees prefer red clover.

“If you can’t bear to let your lawn grow, consider leaving a patch that’s less frequently mown to give them a chance to flower.”

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While an overgrown, weed-filled garden may be an unwelcome sight, the consequences of bees failing to find sufficient nectar at this time of year could prove catastrophic for our ecosystems.

Queen bees face a very real risk of starvation in early spring without adequate food sources, meaning countless colonies may never get the chance to establish themselves.

Any established hive colonies will be depleted of energy and experiencing significant stress, meaning they’ll produce considerably weaker bees later in the year, reports the Express.

Britain’s bee population is already declining at an alarming rate, with two species having already become extinct, so simply maintaining a slightly untidy garden now can genuinely benefit your local wildlife.

Flowers, fruit and vegetable plants depend heavily on pollination, and without it their growth capacity will decline dramatically, which not only damages gardens but on a broader scale makes farming increasingly challenging.

Fewer plants growing will trigger a domino effect on wildlife such as birds and other insects, who’ll also struggle to locate food and become more vulnerable to extinction.

Mowing less frequently, tolerating a few weeds or even allowing a small section of your lawn to grow wild is amongst the simplest ways to help your local bee population flourish in spring.

Dandelions, particularly, are brilliant for bees as they’re protein-rich, so simply leaving them undisturbed is an effortless method to support wildlife.

It’ll also prove enormously beneficial to cultivate wildflowers in your garden at this time of year, and there are specific crops that’ll also reach maturity now for bees to pollinate, such as apple and wild cherry trees.

If you absolutely must tackle weeds, then it’s strongly advised to avoid chemical solutions as they’ll kill bees, and there are natural methods to eliminate dandelions that won’t harm any wildlife.

Four alpacas have died after being mauled to death by two dogs at a farm in Cambridgeshire.

Two other alpacas were left with facial injuries requiring veterinary care after two dogs attacked livestock at a farm in Wisbech St Mary.

Pictures of the injured alpacas show bloodied noses and part of their fur missing from their face.

The Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) were called to reports of two dogs attacking livestock at 6.30am on March 24.

Officers seized the dogs involved in the attack, and an investigation remains ongoing.

The team said the recent dog attack on livestock marks the latest in a worrying string of incidents.

Sergeant Tom Nuttall, from the RCAT, said: ‘This was an extremely distressing incident for all involved, and I would like to thank the victim and the dog owner for continuing to be cooperative with our investigation.

‘Livestock worrying is a criminal offence under UK law. Following the introduction of the Dogs Protection of Livestock Amendment Act 2025 last month, llamas and alpacas are now included in the definition of livestock.’

He also issued a reminder to all dog owners to ‘ensure their animals are kept secure and on a lead in the rural areas of our county in a bid to keep all animals safe’.

The attack comes less than a month after the UK government made it law that police can now detain any dogs that could attack cattle, sheep and other livestock.

The advice from RCAT for dog owners also include observing local signage and seasonal rules, prevent pets from escaping by checking fences and gates are secure, and be extra vigilant and aware of surroundings.

The team added ‘only allow dogs off lead in areas free of livestock’ and urged owners to call 101 immediately if their dog is involved in an incident.

Their advice for farmers and landowners include installing clear signage reminfing walkers of the legal requirement, position troughs away from public paths and consider deterrents like electric fencing.

Officers also suggest farmers and landowners can install CCTV to record evidence or take photographs of injuries and cover carcasses to retain DNA evidence.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Permits that have been bought will be refunded by the council

Parking enforcement in part of Cambridge has been partially scaled back due to unclear signs. Cambridgeshire County Council said on-street checks have identified issues with “the clarity and placement” of some signs relating to the Milton Road Resident Parking Scheme.

It means that drivers have been left confused over which parking restrictions apply and where. The scheme’s original design had aimed to reduce the number of signs, particularly along longer stretches of road with multiple marked bays. But the authority said that a marked bay without any required upright signage could be interpreted by drivers as unrestricted parking. On‑street checks have confirmed that this approach has led to a lack of clarity in some areas, they added.

The parking scheme applies to around 27 roads in the Milton area of Cambridge. It involves people purchasing permits that cost between £35 and £105 per year in order to park in that part of the city.

A notice on Cambridgeshire County Council’s website said: “The County Council is carrying out a detailed ground survey to identify where additional signage is required and where changes to existing signage are needed to improve clarity and legal compliance. This may include installing new signs, as well as moving, replacing, removing or updating existing signs to ensure correct spacing and that the correct restrictions are clearly displayed. This work will ensure the scheme is clear, consistent and fully enforceable. At this stage, the Council is not able to provide a definitive timeline for completion.

“While this work is being completed, the scheme cannot be fully enforced in all areas. During this period, enforcement will be limited to double yellow lines and single yellow lines during their signed hours of operation.”

The review and signage improvement works are expected to take ‘several months’, the council added. All Milton Road parking permits already purchased, including resident, temporary resident, tradesperson and visitor permits, will be refunded. Any new permit applications received before the work is completed will not be processed.

Milton Road Permits (visitor, resident or tradesperson) bought on or after February 2, 2026 will be refunded fully by the end of April. Resident permits bought before this date (for the previous Ascham scheme) will be refunded pro-rata from when the scheme merged on February 2.

Once the scheme meets all legal requirements, residents will be invited to apply for permits again. The six‑month post‑implementation review of the scheme will begin once it is fully operational.

A powerful 5.8 magnitude earthquake in northern Afghanistan has claimed the lives of at least eight members of a refugee family on the outskirts of Kabul. The victims, who had recently returned from neighbouring Iran, were killed when the tremor struck on Friday night.

A three-year-old boy, the sole survivor, sustained injuries and is currently receiving hospital treatment in the capital. Mohibullah Niazi, a neighbour who assisted in the rescue efforts, confirmed the family’s tragic fate.

Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, confirmed on Saturday that the overall death toll from the quake had risen to 12, with an additional four people injured. However, the Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority reported a lower figure, stating nine fatalities. The reason for the differing casualty figures was not immediately apparent.

Mr Fitrat also detailed the destruction, noting that five homes were completely destroyed and 33 others significantly damaged, impacting 40 families across the provinces of Kabul, Panjshir, Logar, Nangarhar, Laghman, and Nuristan.

The family near Kabul were among the millions of Afghan refugees who have recently returned from Iran and Pakistan, after both countries launched crackdowns in 2023 on foreigners – particularly Afghans – living in their countries.

They had arrived 15 days ago and were living in a tent on land next to Mr Niazi’s home.

The family head, Najibullah, who was about 50 years old, “had no other shelter”, Mr Niazi said.

“He was a very poor person.”

The family had set their tent up next to a wall separating the plot of land from Mr Niazi’s home, which stood on higher ground, in the village of Ittefaq on the eastern outskirts of the Afghan capital.

Heavy rains over the past several days, which have led to deadly floods in many parts of Afghanistan, had left the ground sodden and soft.

When the earthquake struck, the wall collapsed on the family.

“My daughter shouted to me that a wall had fallen on them. The whole family ran, but there were so many big rocks,” Mr Niazi recounted as he stood at the scene.

“We tried our best.”

On Saturday morning, piles of bricks and mud were all that were left, along with blankets, cooking utensils and other personal belongings salvaged from the rubble and set into a pile.

“For about three minutes, I could hear the voices of these people,” Mr Niazi said.

“But we couldn’t do anything. There were two or three of us, but this was not the work of three people.”

Neighbours soon rushed to help, digging through the mud and rubble with spades and their hands.

They alerted the local Taliban police checkpoint, which sent rescuers and ambulances.

The young boy, Aarash, was pulled out alive but injured, and rushed to hospital.

Health Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman, who visited the boy on Saturday, said he was being treated for a severe head injury.

For the rest of the family – the father and mother, four daughters aged between 12 and 23, and two sons – it was too late.

The rescuers could only recover their bodies.

Mr Niazi said he had hosted the family in his own home one night.

On Friday, just half an hour before the earthquake struck, he had renewed the offer, telling the family they could spend the night in his own guest room to shelter from the cold and rain.

“But they did not come with me,” he said.

Friday night’s quake had an epicentre in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) east of the northern city of Kunduz, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre and the US Geological Survey.

The area is roughly 290 kilometres (180 miles) north east of Kabul.

Afghanistan lies in a highly seismically active part of the world, and quakes have caused thousands of deaths in recent years.

Last August, a 6.0 earthquake that struck a remote, mountainous part of eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people.

Most casualties were in Kunar province, where people typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep valleys.

In November, a 6.3 earthquake struck Samangan province in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 27 people and injuring more than 950.

It also damaged historical sites, including Afghanistan’s famed Blue Mosque in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, and the Bagh-e-Jahan Nama Palace in Khulm.

On October 7 2023, a 6.3 quake followed by strong aftershocks in western Afghanistan killed thousands of people.